Page 55 of Wrongfully Magicked
I accept it gingerly, afraid I will accidentally taser myself.
The cylinder feels cold and heavy in my hands, and I tighten my grip, moving it around to familiarize myself with the weight. Glowing vials from the floor vault are passed out next, and I don’t even want to know what they can do.
It wouldn’t surprise me if MID issued potions that could melt flesh from bone.
The truck hits a bump hard enough that I go airborne. The only thing that prevents me from smacking my head is Cassius’ quick reflexes as he yanks me down to the seat next to him.
Without missing a beat, he grabs the seat belt and buckles me in without once looking at me. When he pulls away, I gasp when it looks like we’re hurtling through the forest at top speed.
Without a fucking road.
Porter plows over the underbrush and small trees without hesitation. I tuck the metal taser into my lap so I don’t smack myself or others with it, my grip so tight that my knuckles are white. My hips ache from the seat belt, but I don’t dare adjust the straps. I’ll take the bruises, thank you very much, rather than launching face-first out of the windshield.
During my freak-out, the guys kept their cool.
Darby shoves his tablet behind him, and it’s only then that I see he’s wearing a version of a fanny pack under his clothes, designed specifically for his electrical devices.
No wonder it always looks like magic when he pulls his tablet out of his ass.
He pops the glove box open, revealing a glass surface with a keypad, then punches in some sort of code that makes the glass slide open. He pulls out a specially designed gun and efficiently pops out the magazine, checks the ammo, then slams it back home. Without missing a beat, he racks the slide back like it’s second nature, then repeats the process with a second gun.
Holy fucking sexy!
While I find his geeky side attractive, the naughty girl in me is drooling over this version. By nature, I’m not a fan of bad boys. They are usually alphaholes, and I’m not sure why people put up with their shit, but I have to admit, if Darby started giving me orders, I’d be down for it.
Soren chuckles, the delicious sound echoing in my ears, and I whirl so fast, I nearly give myself whiplash. He winks, a knowing look in his eyes, and I can’t do anything about the blush that climbs into my face.
He turns and lunges out the window, firing his gun without missing a beat. I yelp, then lurch over the seat, latching onto the back of his pants, terrified he will fall out of the vehicle at any second.
It takes my poor heart a minute to realize this is something they do often when Darby and Cassius casually lower their windows, lean their torsos out, and begin shooting as well. I grit my teeth against the need to yell at them to get their asses back inside the vehicle.
Darby is facing the front, clearing the path and shooting at something in the trees. Cassius joins Soren by taking aim at the creatures chasing us. I want to yell at the shitheads to warn a girl next time, but I don’t want to distract them. So much is happening at once that my brain can’t process anything, and I’m left holding nothing but a stupid taser.
Assholes.
Porter is focused on driving, expertly avoiding trees with barely enough room so the guys escape being turned into paste and smeared against the side of the truck.
Wondering who’s after us, I glance out the rear window…then wish I hadn’t.
Creatures move through the forest, running so fast, they are practically a blur. I say creatures, but they look like monsters out of a fairy tale, half human and half beast.
Beastlings in full shift.
While many beastlings have the characteristics of their alter counterparts, very few can actually transition into their full beasts. They end up turning into a weird mishmash of human and animal, and if they are not strong enough, some get stuck in that form.
Other times, some just like the power they get when they take their alternate form. They are usually dominant assholes who like blood and aggression just a little too much to pass ashuman. They are often prone to fights and flee the cities instead of standing trial for the crimes they commit.
Over half a dozen creatures are chasing us. Three are obvious lycans—wolves caught between human and beast form—and another two are a weird lion and human combination. They sport massive manes, their faces feline, and their fangs are the size of my fingers.
The beasts are enormous, easily the size of a small car.
The remaining animals giving chase are a combination of smaller dogs and cats. They are mostly humanoid in shape, but their features are all beast. Instead of skin, they have fur covering every inch of their bodies, and an impressive set of claws and fangs. Their size should make them look less intimidating, but the feral quality to them warns that they won’t hesitate to maul you if given a chance. Some run on two legs, but others do a weird lope on all fours that makes them impossibly fast and look freaky as shit.
That’s when I process that they are gaining on us.
A truck is not meant to go off-road in the middle of a forest.
“Brace!” Cassius barks, and everyone hauls their asses inside the truck. Darby and Cassius rapid fire out of the windows, and I gulp when I see what’s heading right toward us—a herd of creatures that are half human and half bull.
